A new Security Center control panel provides quick access to firewall and automatic-update settings, and it checks for active, up-to-date anti-virus software. Though anti-virus protection is essential to Windows security, SP2 doesn't include any; you must install your own.
As part of SP2, the Internet Explorer Web browser now -- finally! -- blocks unsolicited pop-ups. This overdue step eliminates many intrusive ads (yes, The Post's Web site runs its share) but also stops hostile Web sites from tricking users into downloading unwanted programs by barraging them with pop-ups.
_____Live Discussion_____
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Transcript: Rob discussed cybersecurity issues
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_____How to Be Safe Online_____
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Take Care to Guard Your Windows (The Washington Post, Aug 15, 2004)
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Skepticism Is the Message for E-Mail (The Washington Post, Aug 15, 2004)
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When to Leave What Closed (The Washington Post, Aug 15, 2004)
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Geek Speak (The Washington Post, Aug 15, 2004)
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Computer Users Need a Good Backup Plan (The Washington Post, Aug 15, 2004)
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| | | | ___Personal Tech E-letter___ Washington Post personal technology columnist Rob Pegoraro answers reader e-mail and expands on themes he touches on in his weekly newspaper column. The e-mail version of this weekly feature includes links to the latest gadget and software reviews.
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To police browser-hijacking attempts, IE now restricts the ability of Web sites to push "ActiveX" programs on visitors; the default choice is to decline an ActiveX program, and you can reject all future installations from a Web site with two clicks. ActiveX should be retired -- this inherently insecure Microsoft technology grants a Web site unrestricted access to your computer -- but these changes should at least make a hijacker's job tougher.
When you use Internet Explorer to download new software, Windows will ask if you're sure you want to run each of these programs, even if that's days after its download.
Because of these and other security fixes, I did sometimes have to reload a "download now" page to convince IE that I really wanted the file -- a small price for a safer browser, albeit one still behind such competitors as Mozilla Firefox in its capabilities.
The Outlook Express e-mail program, meanwhile, no longer allows any access to programs sent as file attachments. Hiding a program inside a compressed "zip" file won't work either -- you can decompress the archive, but Windows won't let you run its contents.
This may frustrate users who send greeting cards and other little programs in e-mail. I don't care. The cost of mail-borne viruses is too high, and Microsoft did the right thing in placing security over convenience. (Imagine if it had made this trade-off four years ago.)
Many non-program attachments, such as Microsoft Word documents and MP3 audio files, also require a second click to confirm that you really want to open them. (Pictures didn't require that extra step.)
Outlook Express also stops the display of Web images in messages, a common trick spammers use to see who opens their junk.
Service Pack 2 does include one bonus feature that isn't strictly security-related; it now lists the signal strengths of each available WiFi wireless connection, an obvious feature that Microsoft inexplicably left out before.
